Chapter 21: Making Amends (Part One)

The Chancellor’s residence sat on a bustling street, and with midday upon them, the road was crowded with townsfolk. When the Chancellor’s wife staged her “disciplining her son” drama, people stopped to watch.

On both sides of the street, the crowd was dense, their eyes unwavering as they stared at the second young master of the Lu family, inching forward on his knees along the flagstone-paved road.

Lu Junfan’s heart was filled with hatred toward Anran. He didn’t want to kneel—did not want to kneel at all. The bones in his legs had been forcibly broken, sending waves of searing pain through his body. Even the knees he used to crawl scraped against the uneven flagstones, tearing at his wounds with each movement, making the agony unbearable.

Yue City’s roads were excellently paved, every street tiled with stone slabs. Yet even the finest stone could not compare to smooth marble, and before long, Lu Junfan’s delicate knees were raw and bleeding, the blood soaking into the stone beneath him.

His face was twisted in pain, nearly crumpled like waste paper, but he had no other choice. No matter how it hurt, he had to endure and crawl forward.

How he wished someone would carry him home and tend to him gently, yet with so many onlookers, he could not, he dared not. His father no longer cared for him, and his mother’s words had left no room for argument. If he refused or gave up halfway, he would not only be crippled for life, but also cast out of the Chancellor’s household. Then he would have nothing left.

Though he usually idled about and acted recklessly, his mind was clear enough to know that if he failed to crawl to the restaurant today and beg forgiveness, his good days would be over. What’s more, he was now of an age to seek an official career. If a censor marked this incident in the record, his life would be ruined.

So, no matter what, he had to crawl to the restaurant and apologize—even if it killed him. He could not bring shame on the Lu family at the last moment.

Inside a restaurant on the busy street, Anran sat by the window with Wanxia, sipping tea. The little fox squirmed in their arms, its round body straining to see the commotion outside, eager to join the excitement.

“Snowball, do you like it?” Anran ignored the scene outside, offering the creature a piece of fresh shrimp. The little thing gleefully swallowed it in one gulp.

“Miss, are you satisfied now?” Wanxia, holding the snowy fox, glanced out the window and asked.

“Satisfied?” Anran paused, setting the shrimp back on the plate, looking at Wanxia with a half-smile. “Do you really think the Chancellor is sincerely trying to heal his son’s legs? Do you think the Lady Lu is truly willing to see her son suffer like this? Don’t be naive. What they’re doing now is nothing more than appeasing the gossiping masses. That’s all.”

She cast a glance at Lu Junfan, stubbornly kneeling in the street, a mocking curve at her lips. She truly pitied him. She knew exactly what kind of man Lu Anrong was—after all, she had shared a bed with him for ten years. Before coming to Yue City, she had already investigated everything about him. As the head of all officials, he had plenty of jealous foes waiting to seize on his flaws. Now, he merely wanted to cover up the truth.

To keep his secrets hidden, he had killed all the witnesses before—this was a small matter by comparison. If it took killing Lu Junfan himself to protect his reputation, it was hardly beyond him.

“Then, Miss, seeing as Lu Anrong is definitely kneeling to beg forgiveness, will you heal him?” Wanxia was clearly puzzled by her approach. Such a simple matter—why go to all this trouble to deal with a wastrel? A clean break in the night would settle things once and for all.

“Heal him, of course. I have never gone back on my word.”

Yet, a cold smile lingered on Anran’s lips.